This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 9-154689 filed on Jun. 12, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector assembly of the type having two intermatable, plug and receptacle connector halves; and more particularly to such electrical connector having, in addition to electrical contacts used for signal transmission, electrically grounding metal fixtures that are used for fixing the electrical connector.
In a type of electrical connector which comprises plug and receptacle connector halves intermatable for connecting signal lines, each connector half is mounted on a respective printed circuit board, and the grounding connection of each connector half is provided through the corresponding circuit board, respectively.
In this type of connector, there has been known an electrical connector which comprises intermatable plug and receptacle connector halves, each connector half having rows of electrical contacts used for signal transmission.
When the insulative housing of each connector half is mounted on a printed circuit board, the lead portions of the electrical contacts of the respective connector half are soldered to electrically conductive pathways which are provided as a circuit pattern on the respective surface of the printed circuit board. In this condition, each connector half is electrically grounded through some electrical contacts whose lead portions are soldered to electrical pathways which are used for grounding.
Another type of electrical connector of prior art comprises a metallic shield (or a shell) that covers an insulative housing and extends laterally beyond the housing. In this case, the grounding of the connector is provided by means of soldering these laterally extended portions (or fixing portions) of the shell onto electrically conductive pathways which are provided in the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board. In this connector, the fixing portions of the shell, which are connected to the grounding circuit of the printed circuit board, are integrally formed with the shell.
On the other hand, if the connector is constructed to be grounded through some of the electrical contacts which are provided for signal transmission as in the above mentioned former case, then the size of the connector becomes relatively large because the connector requires extra electrical contacts for grounding besides the contacts that are used for signal transmission. These extra contacts present a problem of connector size increase. On the other hand, if the connector is constructed to be grounded through a metallic shell as in the latter case, then not only the size of the connector becomes relatively large but also the weight of the connector becomes relatively heavy because the connector comprises a complex metallic part, i.e., the shell. This presents a problem of connector size and weight increase, which is an obstacle against connector miniaturization.
The present invention was conceived to solve the above mentioned problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which can be grounded securely with a simple construction of the connector in a relatively small size.
In order to achieve such objectives, the present invention provides an electrical connector comprising a plug connector half and a receptacle connector half as basic components, which connector halves are intermatable to connect a plurality of plug contacts that are retained for signal transmission in the plug housing of the plug connector half with corresponding receptacle contacts that are retained for signal transmission in the receptacle housing of the receptacle connector half.
Additionally, plug connector fixtures which are formed of an electrically conductive material are provided at the longitudinal ends of the plug housing to fix the plug connector half onto a plug connector-mountable object. Also, receptacle connector fixtures which are formed of an electrically conductive material are provided at the longitudinal ends of the receptacle housing to fix the receptacle connector half onto a receptacle connector-mountable object.
The plug connector fixtures, which are mounted at the longitudinal ends of the plug housing, provide plug contact surfaces which exist in substantially same planes as inner surfaces of the plug housing and adjacent to these inner surfaces. Also, the receptacle connector fixtures, which are mounted at the longitudinal ends of the receptacle housing, provide receptacle contact surfaces which exist in substantially same planes as outer surfaces of the receptacle housing and adjacent to these outer surfaces. When the plug connector half and the receptacle connector half are mated with each other, the plug contact surfaces are brought into contact with the receptacle contact surfaces. In this condition, at least either the plug connector fixtures or the receptacle connector fixtures are electrically grounded through the plug connector-mountable object or the receptacle connector-mountable object, respectively.
In this connector assembly, the contacts for signal transmission and the connector fixtures are aligned longitudinally in a row, and the contact surfaces of the connector fixtures are positioned in the same planes as the outer surfaces and the inner surfaces of the respective housings without protruding outwardly. Therefore, this connector assembly can be miniaturized easily. Moreover, as the contact surfaces of both the connector fixtures are brought into contact with each other when the connector halves are intermated, it is possible to ground both the connector fixtures even if only the connector fixtures of one connector half are connected to the grounding pathways of a respective connector-mountable object.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.